Apparatus, system, and method for the desktop-based creation, management, and publication of enhanced audiovisual presentations

ABSTRACT

A software apparatus for the user-friendly, desktop-based authoring, creation, management, and publication of a personal, enhanced audiovisual presentation comprising a software program which automatically captures and encodes the audiovisual presentation recorded by the user using the webcam, allows the user to edit an application-imported textual resume and synchronize parts of the textual resume with segments of the recorded audiovisual presentation, assigns a URL to the completed enhanced audiovisual presentation, and. A computer teleprompter especially adapted for use with the disclosed apparatus for desktop-based recording of an enhanced audiovisual presentation comprising a front enclosure with an opening, a webcam mount, a webcam position adjustment knob attached to the webcam mount, a lower mirror, and a beam splitter mirror with a transmission-to-reflection ratio that is adapted for use with a webcam.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application is a continuation of and claims priority topatent application Ser. No. 11/145,082 filed on Jun. 3, 2005 entitledApparatus, System, and Method for the Desktop-Based Creation,Management, and Publication of Enhanced Audiovisual Presentations whichin turn claims priority from provisional Patent Application Ser. No.60/577,655 filed on Jun. 7, 2004, the contents of each of which areincorporated by reference in their entirety herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The disclosed invention relates to apparatus and systems for thegeneration of digital audiovisual presentations from a user's desktop.More specifically, and not by way of limitation, the disclosed inventionis directed to an apparatus for the creation, capture, management, anddistribution over the Internet or an Intranet of an enhanced digitalaudiovisual presentation such as a user's video resume directly from theuser's desktop.

Audiovisual presentations are familiar tools in education, training,sales, and marketing. However, the use of pre-recorded audiovisualpresentations by job candidates in their job search is a relativelyrecent phenomenon. The challenge to the job candidate is to efficientlycreate an audiovisual presentation and then to efficiently distributeit. While webcams are available today for the creation of audiovisualrecordings from a computer user's desktop, the capability to readilycapture the recorded audiovisual presentation in a suitable digitizedformat for efficient distribution to a target audience remains achallenge and is one of the problems addressed by the disclosedinvention.

Businesses have sprung up which provide facilities where job candidatescan go to record professional video resumes which the service thendigitizes and offers to host on a website. Other services, such ascyberview.com, travel to the office site of the job candidate, film atthat site, then host the video resume. Still other services, such asueditvideo.com, create a multimedia resume on a compact disc, called “CDREZ,” based on data (edited video, transcript, academic resume, athleticresume, and other inputs) provided by the customer. These services areinefficient and relatively expensive methods for the creation of aprofessional personal video resume.

Other services enable the job candidate to independently create videoresumes. For example, services such as videopop.net andseriousmagic.com, enable computer users to author their personal videoresume using a software wizard which directs the user through the videoauthoring process directly from the user's desktop. Each of these sitesconfigures and displays a video tool as a window next to the textualresume. The video tool enables playback of the video resume. Neither ofthese applications however discloses methods for enhancement of thevideo via synchronization with text, neither discloses an apparatuswhich is specially designed to help users create more professionalaudiovisual presentations straight from their computer desktop station,and neither discloses a system for the immediate publication anddistribution of the video resume over the Internet.

U.S. Patent Application 20030066029 by Vizina is directed to a systemfor the computer-based method of creating a multimedia resume andstoring the multimedia resume in a form suitable for electronicdissemination to hiring personnel. The resume-creating software permitsthe user to incorporate into the multimedia resume separate componentssuch as a text file, digital photo, and a video from a source such as anoff-board multimedia program. The Vizina application however is notdirected to an apparatus which facilitates the creation of professionalquality enhanced audiovisual presentations from a user's desktopstation.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,592,375 issued to Salmon, et. al, is directed to acomputer-implemented system which assists employers in identifying jobcandidates which match criteria specified by the employer. The inventiondiscloses a multimedia database which contains descriptive information(called a Product Profile) about a job candidate in complexconfigurations called a Product Tables. The employer accesses thedatabase via an interface and can query the database. Per one feature ofthe Salmon patent, the system suggests questions to the candidate andprompts the job candidate to answer the question in a video clip storedin a table of the job candidate's Product Profile. The Salmon patent,however, is not directed to a producer (job candidate)-focused apparatusand system for the efficient desktop-based creation, modification,capture, and instantaneous publication over a network of a professionalaudiovisual presentation synchronized with text.

Formats for textual resumes have become somewhat standardized in part topromote efficiency in the process of identification of qualifiedcandidates. Thus, textual resumes generally have standard sections andsection headings, such as for example Objective, Education, ProfessionalWork History, and References. Hiring authorities have become accustomedto screening resumes for qualified candidates by a cursory reference tospecific sections of the resume that are of particular interest to thehiring authority. What is needed is a simple, user-friendly system for ajob candidate's efficient desktop-based creation of personal audiovisualresumes which are enhanced to utilize the standardized format of textualresumes that hiring authorities have come to expect.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The disclosed invention is directed to the apparatus andcomputer-implemented system, and method for the creation, modification,capture, and distribution of an enhanced digital audiovisualpresentation by the producer (herein called user) directly from theuser's desktop. To practice the disclosed invention, a user must haveaccess to a computer equipped with an operating system, a connection tothe Internet, a browser for access to the Worldwide Web, and amultimedia player, computer monitor, keyboard, one available USB port, avideo capture device such as a web cam, and input/output connections foraudio. Additional hardware which will help the user produce a moreprofessional presentation includes a lapel microphone to be placed onthe user's body, a portable computer station light source, and apersonal computer teleprompter. The disclosed invention is also directedto and includes a design for a teleprompter specially made for use withthe disclosed system.

The preferred embodiment of the computer telemprompter incorporates awebcam as part of the design such that the computer teleprompter servesboth as a webcam for recording audiovisual presentations using thedisclosed invention and as a teleprompter to help guide the user to keephis/her eyes directly at the camera during the recording process. Thecomputer teleprompter comprises a front enclosure piece which has awindow opening and which supports a splitter mirror in its upper portionand a lower mirror, and a back enclosure piece which is removablyattached to the front enclosure piece and supports a webcam, has a meansto adjust the position of the webcam, and a monitor clip to help securethe computer telemprompter to a computer monitor. The splitter mirrorper the preferred embodiment for the computer teleprompter has atransmission-to-reflection ratio which was optimized for a webcam afterexperimentation. Thus, while teleprompters collaborating withconventional cameras utilize a splitter mirror with atransmission-to-reflection ratio of 60/40, the splitter mirror per thepreferred embodiment for the disclosed computer teleprompter has atransmission-to-reflection ratio of 75/25. Note, however, that theapplicant expressly does not disclaim other ratios because other ratios,including 60/40 work but may not be optimal., a webcam mount, monitorclip, a front enclosure comprising a view window, a splitter mirroroptimized for use with a webcam opposed to a conventional video camera.The user installs the webcam by connecting it to the USB port on theuser's computer. The user must access the application software that is acritical part of the disclosed invention. The application software(herein Application Tool) resides on the application host server (hereinAuthoring Server) and the user may access it by visiting the host'swebsite and registering as a user. When the registered user is ready tobegin the application, the Application Tool will automatically installthe correct Operating System (OS) drivers and test the configuration. Animportant aspect of the disclosed invention is the way the ApplicationTool captures, via an Active-X Control, the recorded audiovisualpresentation and automatically formats it to any of the standard videoencoding technologies.

A registered user can do any of the following actions while on-line inhis/her account at the application host website: View a previouslycreated and captured audiovisual presentation, delete a previouslycaptured audiovisual presentation, edit a previously capturedaudiovisual presentation, create a new audiovisual presentation, anddistribute a previously captured audiovisual presentation.

Another feature of the preferred embodiment enables the user to purchaseadditional hosting time for the application beyond the initial periodoffered as part of the initial purchase. Hosting time refers to theamount of time that the published audiovisual presentation is liveon-line and available for streaming to viewers who access the URLassigned to the distributed audiovisual presentation. A feature of thedisclosed invention for managing a distributed video resume enables theuser to view a report screen listing viewing attributes for thedistributed audiovisual presentation. For example, the user will begiven information on each viewer, including viewer's domain name, dateof the viewing session, and duration of the viewing session.

The user who desires to create a new audiovisual presentation isprompted by the Application Tool through the following steps:

a. Manually input a TITLE for the audiovisual presentation. The TITLE isany word, phrase, or sentence chosen by the user to refer to theaudiovisual presentation. In the preferred embodiment, the TITLEincludes the name of the job seeker and the job title of the positionhe/she is seeking.

b. Upload to the application server a previously prepared textualdocument which in the preferred embodiment represents the user's resume.The document may be uploaded from any source, whether the user'scomputer, or from a source outside of the user's computer, such as via alink to a page on a website. The uploading step creates a link from theaudiovisual presentation being created to the textual resume. Viewers ofthe distributed audiovisual presentation will be able to view thetextual resume because of the link created by the uploading step.

c. Choose a presentation template from a number of available templatesprovided by the application tool. The presentation template givesoptions for presentation attributes such as layout, font, and size ofthe video screen, colors, and an audio-only option.

d. Manually input names for sections of the audiovisual presentationbeing created. These sections are called “Headings” in the applicationtool. The user may choose to create no heading, one heading, or morethan one heading. The user is free to use a single word, a phrase, or asentence as the heading. In the preferred embodiment of the disclosedinvention the Headings are names for standard parts of a textual resumesuch as but not limited to “Objective,” “Education,” “EmploymentHistory,” and “References.”

e. Manually input CONTENT for each HEADING created using a WYSIWYG (WhatYou See Is What You Get) Editor. The user determines what content isappropriate for any given HEADING. The content for each HEADING may becut and pasted from the uploaded textual resume if a resume document wasuploaded. Alternatively, the CONTENT may be a fresh script which theuser drafts for use in the recording.

f. The user is prompted to review CONTENT for each HEADING.

g. The user is prompted to either upload previously recorded video andaudio files or to record a new audiovisual presentation. This featureenables the use of more complex production-style quality multimediapresentations as part of the disclosed invention. If the user chooses toupload a previously recorded multimedia file, then the user canimmediately take steps to synchronize the uploaded file with theHeadings created.

h. The user who chooses to record a new audiovisual presentation sets upthe hardware and the physical space for the recording session at themember's desktop. If the user has not already done so, the user connectsthe web cam or video capture device to the USB port of the user'scomputer. The application will install the correct Operating Systemdrivers and test the configuration. The user installs the computerteleprompter (if any) on the computer monitor, adjusts the light source(if any), adjusts the microphone and the position of the web cam, andsets up as appropriate background skins.

i. Once the physical set up is completed, the user, seated at his/hercomputer desktop station, records a video resume by speaking whilelooking directly at the web cam or computer teleprompter (if used)screen. The recording time is variable, however, longer video resumesrequire more storage space on servers and thus are more costly tomanage. If using the computer teleprompter, the user is able to adjustthe scroll speed for the text that appears in the teleprompter viewer.The computer teleprompter will help the user to relax, look directly atthe camera, and deliver a more professional presentation. The length ofvideo resumes in the preferred embodiment is five minutes. Theapplication tool has an Active-X Control embedded in the browser of theuser's computer which automatically and directly accomplishes encodingof the video into any of the standardized formats (e.g., Windows Media,Real Media, Flash Video, or other format for non-windows operatingsystems). The captured video is automatically encoded at an applicationdetermined bandwidth. The control can encode at low and high qualitybandwidth.

j. When the user is finished recording, he/she indicates that therecording is complete by clicking STOP, and is then given theopportunity to review the recorded video. After the recording iscomplete, the video resume has been captured and encoded.

k. If the user has created Headings, then he/she is prompted tosynchronize the Headings with the appropriate points in the recordedvideo. The user can accomplish synchronization by playing the video andclicking on the SYNCHRONIZE tab which corresponds to the HEADING whosecontent is being discussed on the video resume. Alternatively, the usermay accomplish synchronization by playing the video, noting the time onthe video clock that corresponds to any given HEADING, typing that timenext to the HEADING and clicking on the SYNCHRONIZE tab for thatHEADING.

l. The user is prompted to create a still snapshot for use as a visualrepresentation of the video resume to be displayed to the viewer on thehome page of the audiovisual presentation accompanied by the TITLE. Theuser determines the content for the snapshot, but most commonly thesnapshot will be a personal portrait-style photograph if the audiovisualpresentation is a video resume. Alternatively, the user may import animage from another source.

m. The user is prompted to review the video resume before decidingwhether or not to publish it.

n. If the user decides to not publish the audiovisual presentation,he/she is prompted by the application to re-record the audiovisualpresentation. If the user chooses to not re-record at this time, thenthe just-recorded or uploaded presentation is stored on the databaseserver of the disclosed system for the user's later access and retrievalvia his/her account.

o. If the user decides to publish the audiovisual presentation, then theapplication automatically assigns and communicates to the user ahyperlinked unique URL address for the audiovisual presentation. As soonas the unique URL address is assigned to the presentation, the videoresume is immediately published on the Internet and available forviewing to anyone who types in the correct URL address in a searchengine.

6. Once a video resume is created, captured, and published, the user mayindependently market and advertise his/her video resume by notifyingindividuals and business entities, such as via electronic mail, aboutthe existence of the audiovisual presentation and its URL. In addition,the user may save the audiovisual presentation, along with the textualresume, to a compact disk (CD) or a digital video disk (DVD) anddistribute the CD or DVD using traditional methods including mailing theCD or DVD. In the preferred embodiment, the video resume is hostedon-line by a service which negotiates for and places links for the videoresume at various on-line websites such as job boards.

7. Another aspect of the disclosed invention is the Presentation ViewingUtility which enables visitors to the URL of the audiovisualpresentation to experience the video resume on demand by typing the URLaddress in the browser of the visitor's computer or by clicking on ahyperlinked URL address of the presentation as found on various websites such as on-line job boards). Within the Presentation ViewingUtility, the visitor to the URL may play (i.e., stream) the videoresume, view the snapshot and TITLE, stream selected (synchronized)segments of the video resume by clicking on the hyperlinked andsynchronized Headings which then causes the utility to display HEADINGCONTENT associated with the Heading's as the appropriate segment of thevideo resume is streamed, download and print the textual resume byclicking on the icon displayed and associated with this functionality,and send an electronic mail message to the user directly by clicking onthe envelope icon displayed.

While the preferred embodiment discloses an application directed towarda video resume for use by job seekers (or more generally, individualspromoting their special skill and talent), it will be obvious toindividuals of ordinary skill in the art that the disclosed system isequally applicable to other uses where promotion of oneself and one'sskills and capabilities is not the main objective.

The apparatus and system disclosed herein may be used by variousindividuals to create short personal audiovisual presentations whoseprimary purpose is to communicate information to a targetaudience/viewer with the personal touch made possible by digital videotechnology. For example, and not by way of limitation, the disclosedinvention may be used for the following varied purposes: medicalprofessional, mental health professional, and/or a social worker talkingon a topic of general public health concern or of specific interest to aparticular patient (e.g., detailed description of a contemplatedsurgical procedure, post-operative care instructions, nutritionalcounseling, managing grief, critic (amateur or professional) deliveringa book, music, or film review; beauty consultant discussing a treatmentprotocol, political candidate detailing his/her platform or othermessage.

In summary, the disclosed apparatus, method, and system enable anyonewith a computer to readily, quickly, frequently, and inexpensivelycreate, manage, and distribute on-line, directly from his/her desktop, acustom, personal audiovisual presentation authored for various purposes.

It will be obvious based on the above disclosure that there areadditional ways, within the scope of the disclosed invention, to furtherenhance the audiovisual presentation under the disclosed system andmethod. For example, per the preferred embodiment for video resumes, thevideo resume may show, in addition to the job candidate, other speakerssuch as the candidate's reference named on the textual resume. Thereference could speak about his/her experience with the job candidate.The recording of the reference segment of the video resume may be doneat the job candidate's desktop as part of a single continuousaudiovisual presentation. Alternatively, the reference may independentlyrecord the audiovisual presentation at his/her desktop using thedisclosed Application Tool. The presentation recorded and captured bythe reference could then be electronically disseminated to the jobcandidate who will upload it to his account, and enhance it asappropriate using the Application Tool.

The scope of the disclosed invention includes the computer-implementedbusiness method for hosted distribution over the Internet of audiovisualpresentations created and/or enhanced using the Application Tool that isthe heart of the disclosed invention. A preferred embodiment of thebusiness method comprises a hosting service (a website) which performsthe following functions: (1) stores audiovisual presentations of itsregistered users on a database, and (2) streams the presentations (anddisplays their synchronized textual enhancements) via an interface whichindividuals access by typing the unique URL address preassigned to eachpresentation. The interface captures and makes available to registeredusers of the hosting service certain information about the hits orvisits to each URL, such as for example the domain name of the visitorto the URL, date of the visit, and duration of the presentation viewingsession. The hosting service advertises its database at various sitessuch as but not limited to job posting boards and resume postingservices.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the overall system and its components;

FIG. 2 is a diagram of the physical desktop set-up for practicing thedisclosed invention;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the Application Tool under the disclosedinvention;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the Presentation Viewing Utility of thedisclosed invention;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the preferred embodiment for video resumes;

FIG. 6 is a sample data screen of the Application Tool per the preferredembodiment;

FIG. 7 shows sample code attributes of the Active-X Control;

FIG. 8 is an exploded front view of the preferred embodiment for thecomputer teleprompter;

FIG. 9 is an exploded rear view of the preferred embodiment for thecomputer teleprompter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosed invention will be better understood by reference to thedrawings per FIGS. 1 through 8 discussed in detail below. The reader isadvised that some of the content, especially content per FIGS. 6 and 7below, contains copyrighted material and material protected by trademarkand trade dress. The applicants reserve all rights therein.

It will be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the programming art howto program each of the functionalities which comprises the disclosedcomputer-implemented invention as discussed below. The scope of thedisclosed invention encompasses all equivalents of the structures andfunctions consistent with the spirit and intent of the invention.

FIG. 1 shows the major components and their interrelationships in theoverall system disclosed for the web-based and desktop-based creation,modification, capture, publication, and distribution of enhanced digitalaudiovisual presentations by user-producers (hereafter referred to asusers). FIG. 1 also shows components of the disclosed system whichenable individuals (hereafter called Presentation Visitors) to accessand view the audiovisual presentation created using the disclosedinvention. Each of the components is described in detail below.

Per FIG. 1, User Computer 10 has a means 11 to connect to the Internetor an Intranet. Via a browser installed on User Computer 10, the Useruploads the Application Tool 13 which resides on the Application Server14. The output of the Application Tool 13 is either an UnpublishedAudiovisual Presentation 15 or a Published Audiovisual Presentation 16,each of which is stored in a Presentation Database 17 which resides onthe Application Database Server 18. The User can access the UnpublishedAudiovisual Presentation 15 and the Published Audiovisual Presentation16 from his/her account in the Application Tool 13. Individuals, hereincalled Presentation Visitors, interested in viewing the PublishedAudiovisual Presentation 16, can do so via an interface called thePresentation Tool 19 (or Presentation Viewing Utility), residing on theApplication Server 14, which is accessible via a browser installed onthe Presentation Visitor Computer 21 which is connected to the Internetor the Intranet via a connection 22. The User may save the UnpublishedAudiovisual Presentation 15 to a compact disk (CD) 23 or digital videodisk (DVD) 24 and then distribute the CD or DVD using traditionalmethods such as but not limited to electronic dissemination or mailingvia the postal system.

FIG. 2 depicts the typical physical configuration for a User's desktopset-up to practice the disclosed invention. The physical set-upcomprises the User's Computer 10 which has browser software 12, means 11for connecting the User's Computer 10 to the Internet, a video capturedevice such as a web cam 27, microphone 28, computer teleprompter 29,optional computer light 30, and optional background screen 31. Thehardware components herein listed will be known to one of ordinary skillin the webcasting art. The disclosed invention is also directed to apreferred embodiment of a novel computer teleprompter (see descriptionof FIGS. 9 and 10 below) which was specially designed to cooperate withthe disclosed system.

FIG. 3 describes in greater detail the functionalities which comprisethe Application Tool 13. The Application Tool 13 is a web-based computerprogram wizard which prompts the User through the steps of registration,authoring and recording, enhancement, and capture of a digitalAudiovisual Presentation from the User's Computer 10.

Registration

During registration, the User manually inputs using the computerkeyboard identifying information such as but not limited to name,physical address, password, and credit card-related data. Successfulregistration creates a User's Account 32 which resides on theApplication Server 14 and is accessible by the User upon input of properUser identifying information including password.

In the User's Account 32, the User may perform any of the followingfunctions: view 33 a previously saved presentation, delete 34 thepreviously saved presentation, edit 35 the textual enhancements for thepreviously saved Unpublished Audiovisual Presentation or PublishedAudiovisual Presentation, view 36 log of hits (visits) to the URL of thecurrent Published Audiovisual Presentation, author and record 37 a newaudiovisual presentation, and/or perform miscellaneous administrativefunctions, including purchase of additional services such as for examplehosting time for the Published Audiovisual Presentation.

Authoring and Recording of a New Presentation

To record a new presentation, the User is prompted to select aPresentation Template 38 from available stored templates in theApplication Tool 13. Templates control presentation attributes such asbut not limited to font for text used to enhance the presentation,layout of presentation components on the monitor screen, colors,graphics, video screen size, and an audio-only option.

The User is next prompted to author a Title 39 for the audiovisualpresentation by manually inputting text via the computer keyboard. Thetitle is any phrase, word, or sentence which the user selects torepresent and describe the audiovisual presentation. In the preferredembodiment, the Title may be, but is not limited to, the user's name,address, telephone number, and a job title for the position sought.

The User is next prompted to upload a text-formatted Textual File 40 tothe Application Server 14 from its location by typing that file'saddress. This is an optional step per the Application Tool 13 and isused when enhancement of the audiovisual presentation is desired. In thepreferred embodiment, the Textual File 40 is the User's textual resume.The Textual File 40 may be uploaded from the User's Computer 10 or fromany location on the World Wide Web. During the uploading step, a Javaapplet gives the User feedback as to how much of the file has beenuploaded. The applet also validates the file type. The uploaded TextualFile 40 is available to the User for display on the monitor of theUser's Computer 10 during the authoring steps. It is noted that theuploading step creates a link 68 (also see FIG. 4) on the PublishedAudiovisual Presentation 16 to the Textual File 40. That link isavailable in the Presentation Tool 19 when Presentation Visitors viewthe Published Audiovisual Presentation 16.

The User is next prompted to author textual enhancements, if any, whichwill be displayed by the Presentation Tool 19 to Presentation Visitorsduring presentation viewing sessions. The textual enhancements compriseHeadings 41 and Heading Content 42 which are determined by the User andmanually input by the User via the computer keyboard and a What You SeeIs What You Get (WYSIWYG) Editor 43. A Heading 41 is a title for aparticular section of the audiovisual presentation. Heading Content 42refers to information which pertains to the corresponding Heading 41.Heading Content 42 may be harvested from the uploaded Textual File 40 orit may be freshly scripted by the User and manually input using theWYSIWYG Editor 43. The User may utilize the optional Resume AuthoringTutorial 44 to script the Heading 41 and Heading Content 42. In thepreferred embodiment, Headings 41 are titles of sections of a standardtextual resume. Thus, for example, and not by way of limitation, thefollowing may be used as Headings: Introduction, Objective, Experience,Education, Awards, and References.

Next, the User may upload a Previously Recorded Audiovisual Presentation45 or the User may record a new presentation. The option to upload apreviously recorded and encoded audiovisual presentation provides forthe use of more advanced production-style multimedia presentations aspart of the disclosed invention. That option is available to moresophisticated users of the disclosed invention. The production-stylemultimedia presentation may have been recorded in a professionalrecording studio or at the User's desktop.

Before recording a new audiovisual presentation, the User configures andverifies the Physical Set-up at the User's desktop as detailed in FIG. 2per discussion above. The User connects the video capture device 27 tothe USB port of the User's Computer 10. The Application Tool 13 willautomatically install the correct Operating System drivers and test theconfiguration. The User will then adjust the position of the web cam 27,User's microphone, computer light (if supplemental light source isused), and background screen (if one is used). The User will install andset-up the computer teleprompter on the monitor of the User's Computer10.

Having set-up the desktop, the User initiates recording of theaudiovisual presentation by clicking on RECORD. The User speaks whilelooking directly at the computer monitor or at the screen of thecomputer teleprompter. To indicate that recording of the audiovisualpresentation is complete, the User clicks on STOP.

Capture of the Audiovisual Presentation

By way of the Active-X Control Program 46 which is embedded in thebrowser of the User's Computer by way of the Application Tool 13, therecording step automatically encodes the audiovisual presentation intoany one of the standard formats for media files for both Windows andNon-Windows Operating Systems, such as but not limited to Window Media,Real Media, or Flash Video. The encoding is accomplished at anapplication determined bandwidth. The Active-X Control 46 is consideredto be an important part of the disclosed invention and makes thedisclosed invention user-friendly. The control can bind to any videocapture device. The Active-X Control program regulates video attributessuch as but not limited to the bit rate, recording time, and videodimensions. The recorded audiovisual presentation is automaticallyuploaded to the Application Server and becomes available for futureretrieval and modification as appropriate.

Enhancement of the Audiovisual Presentation

The User can next enhance the audiovisual presentation by synchronizingit with the Headings. Synchronization may be accomplished via a “pointand click” method. The User plays the presentation and clicks, at theappropriate time, on the “Synchronize” tab associated with the Headingwhose content is being discussed at that point in the presentation.Alternatively, the User may manually input the time (as displayed by theclock which is part of the video media player tool) that corresponds tothe start of discussion of Heading Content related to any given Heading.It is noted that the enhancement function per the disclosed invention isnot limited to enhancement with a textual file. It will be obvious toone of ordinary skill in the art of creating presentations with the aidof computers that alternative enhancement methods are possible and arehereby considered to be within the scope of the disclosed invention. Forexample, the user may synchronize the audiovisual presentation with amultimedia file (audio, video, images such as static and movingcharacters, etc.).

The User next has the option to create a thumbnail image to representthe presentation. The User may record a still digital Snapshot 49 orupload a previously created image file 47. The thumbnail image will bedisplayed along with the Title of the presentation on the first page thePresentation Visitor sees upon accessing the URL 48 of the presentation.In the preferred embodiment, the thumbnail is a still portrait of theUser taken at the User's desktop with the aid of the webcam.

Publication of the Audiovisual Presentation

The User next decides whether to publish the enhanced presentation.Publication of the audiovisual presentation makes the presentationimmediately available for streaming and viewing on a network by way ofthe interface called the Presentation Tool 19. The publication step isaccomplished in the Application Tool via computer code which assigns aunique URL address to the newly captured audiovisual presentation and/oruploaded, previously recorded audiovisual presentation and thenimmediately displays to the User the URL address assigned to theaudiovisual presentation. The published presentation resides in thePresentation Database on the Application Database Server.

Bypassing the publication step, or in addition to the publication step,the User may opt to save the captured presentation on a compact disk(CD) 23 medium or a Digital Video Disk (DVD) 24 medium. The User maypromote and distribute the CD 23 or DVD 24 via electronic disseminationor by mailing using the postal system.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the functionalities of thePresentation Tool 19 which enable presentation visitors to access 60 andstream 62 (with enhancements 70 or without enhancements 80) thepublished audiovisual presentations, print 63 the textual file (if any)associated with the published audiovisual presentation, display 61 theTitle and Snapshot or Image File associated with the presentation, andsend 65 an electronic communication to the author/owner of the publishedpresentation.

The Presentation Tool (or the Presentation Viewing Utility) 19, whichresides on the Application Server 14, is an interface between thePresentation Database 17 and the Presentation Visitor's Computer 21. ThePresentation Visitor wishing to view a Published AudiovisualPresentation accesses the URL 48 of that presentation by way of thebrowser on his/her computer. The media player 66 downloaded to thePresentation Visitor's Computer streams the Published AudiovisualPresentation on demand. The Presentation Visitor may select playback 67at either high or low bandwidth or he/she may select the option wherebythe Presentation Tool itself determines the appropriate bandwidth forstreaming the presentation based on the Presentation Visitor Computer'sconfiguration. The Presentation Tool also has means for synchronizedplay of the Published Audiovisual Presentation and concurrent display ofthe Heading and Heading Content. The Presentation Tool displays theTitle and representative Still Snapshot 49 or Uploaded Image 47 of thePublished Audiovisual Presentation. The Presentation Visitor may send anelectronic mail message to the User (by, e.g., clicking on the displayedenvelope icon which automatically accesses the Presentation Visitor'sdefault mail client program). Finally, the Presentation Visitor mayprint the uploaded Textual File associated with the presentation via thelink 68 displayed on the Presentation Visitor Computer screen shown asan icon.

The Presentation Tool also comprises means 64 for capturing certainattributes for each hit (i.e., session by visitor to the presentation)and transferring the data to a log which is accessible to the user inhis/her User Account 32. The Visiting Session Attributes include but arenot limited to the domain name of the Presentation Visitor, the date ofthe visit to the URL of the presentation, and the duration of the visitto the URL.

FIG. 5 is a detailed flowchart of the system and method per thepreferred embodiment where the audiovisual presentation is a videoresume. The steps in the disclosed method for the preferred embodimentare described above in detail in the section entitled Summary of theInvention.

FIG. 6 shows a sample screen in the Application Tool per a prototype ofthe preferred embodiment for video resumes.

FIG. 7 shows sample code under the Active-X Control Program developedfor a prototype of the preferred embodiment for video resumes.

FIG. 8 is an exploded front view of the preferred embodiment for acomputer teleprompter 29 for use with the disclosed invention. Thecomputer teleprompter comprises a front enclosure 100 which comprises anopening or window 110 in its upper portion and which removably houses abeam splitter mirror 120 and a lower mirror 130, a back enclosure 140which houses a webcam 27, a webcam mount 150, and a removable monitorclip 160.

1. A computer teleprompter device for placement on a personal computermonitor to help a user look directly at the webcam while recording anaudiovisual presentation at the user's desktop, comprising: a fronthousing with an opening, said front housing adapted to be mounted on andto rest on a computer monitor; a back housing comprising a webcam mountwherein said back housing is removably attached to the back of the topportion of the front housing; and a beam splitter mirror attached to thefront housing near the opening in the front housing and below the webcammount, said beam splitter mirror having a transmission-to-reflectionratio that is adapted for use with a webcam.
 2. The computerteleprompter device of claim 1 comprising a lower mirror attached to thefront housing.
 3. The computer teleprompter device of claim 1 comprisinga webcam position adjustment knob attached to the webcam mount.
 4. Thecomputer teleprompter device of claim 1, wherein the beam splittermirror has a transmission-to-reflection ratio of approximately 75/25. 5.The computer teleprompter device of claim 1, wherein, the personalcomputer is a laptop computer.
 6. The computer teleprompter device ofclaim 1 comprising a webcam placed inside the webcam mount.
 7. A systemfor recording an audiovisual presentation, comprising: a first computerconfigured to connect to a data network; a monitor communicably coupledto the first computer; and a teleprompter device detachably attached tothe monitor and communicably coupled to the first computer, theteleprompter device: incorporates a webcam configured to recordaudiovisual presentations by a user of the first computer; and guidesthe user of the first computer to keep their eyes directly at the cameraduring an audiovisual recording process.
 8. The system of claim 7comprising an application server communicably coupled to the firstcomputer.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the application servercomprises: an authoring server; a viewing server; and an applicationdatabase server communicably coupled to the authoring server and to theviewing server.
 10. The system of claim 9, wherein the authoring server:is communicably coupled to the first computer; receives the recordaudiovisual presentation; and provides the received recorded audiovisualpresentation to the application database.
 11. The system of claim 8comprising a second computer configured to connect to the viewing servervia the data network.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein a user of thesecond computer can access the recorded audiovisual presentation fromthe application database via the viewing server.
 13. The system of claim9, wherein the authoring server is configured to synchronize therecorded audiovisual presentation with a textual document.
 14. Thesystem of claim 13, wherein the authoring server is configured to savethe synchronized audiovisual presentation and the textual document witha unique URL identifier in the application database.
 15. The system ofclaim 14, wherein the unique URL identifier is used by at least one ofthe first user and the second user to access at least one of: therecorded audiovisual presentation or the synchronized audiovisualpresentation and the textual document.
 16. The system of claim 15,wherein the audiovisual presentation is a video resume.
 17. The systemof claim 15, wherein the synchronized audiovisual presentation and thetextual document is a video resume combined with text.
 18. The system ofclaim 7, wherein the teleprompter device helps the first user lookdirectly at the webcam while the audiovisual presentation is recorded.19. The system of claim 7, wherein the data network is at least one of:the Internet or an intranet.
 20. A system for recording an audiovisualpresentation, comprising: a computer configured to connect to a datanetwork; a monitor communicably coupled to the computer; and ateleprompter device detachably attached to the monitor and communicablycoupled to the computer, the teleprompter device: incorporates a webcamconfigured to record audiovisual presentations by a user of thecomputer; and uses computer software program stored on the computer andread by a processor on the computer whereby the computer softwareprogram provides for the script to be displayed and scrolled in an areaof the monitor and allows the user to adjust the rate of scroll of thescript.